Christmon Three: The Keys

The third Chrismon symbol is now on our tree.  The third symbol is the keys.

You will note that I have put off posting the symbols for a few days.  I have put this one off a bit, because this blog has a rather diverse Christian readership, among whom would be a variety of positions regarding authority in the church.  Some regard the Pope at Rome as having primacy, others consider all Bishops to have equal authority, and still others would consider the priesthood to lie solely with all believers, and would consider the Bible, alone, to hold authority.

I suppose that I offer the keys, which represent authority in the church, for your consideration, in a spirit of respect, ...and ask that you consider that, regardless of the Christian neighborhood in which we reside, we all call Jesus 'Lord'…and that,…is the key.

I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven,

 and whatever you bind on Earth will be bound in heaven, 

and whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in Heaven. 

~Matthew 16:19

Pax Christi,

~Michelle

Chrismon Number Two: The Dove

This is part three of a series.  Part two is here.
For a look at how we made the ornaments, click here.

Welcome Back!

Today, we added the second ornament to our Chrismon tree.  

Today's symbol is: 

The Dove

The dove is spoken of in Mark 1:10:

"Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open, and the Spirit descending on him like a dove."

The dove is an early Christian symbol.  It is spoken about many times in scripture, including in the story of Noah, who released a dove after the flood.  It is most commonly used as a symbol of the Holy Ghost, particularly in association with the stories of our Lord's baptism, and Pentecost.  Doves also have a long, ancient history of being associated with purity and peace.

Artwork: {{PD-1923}}-published before 1923 and therefore public domain in the US

In Christian antiquity, the dove was often used as a Eucharistic vessel, a container for holding the Blessed Sacrament, which was hung above the altar and used to carry the bread of communion to the sick.  There is some mention in early writings of Christians receiving the wine of communion from a dove shaped vessel in the catacombs. Additional pictures, and more information, about the early Christian use of doves as Eucharistic vessels are available here, here, and here.

The third ornament goes on the tree tomorrow!

Pax Christi,
~Michelle


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Chrismon Number One: The Alpha & The Omega

The first symbol in our Chrismons series is: The Alpha and the Omega.

(For Part I of the series, click here.)

This symbol is related to the words of Christ in:

  

    

Revelation 1:8:

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

The Alpha (A) and the Omega (Ω) are the first and last symbols of the Classical (Ionic) Greek alphabet.  In effect, they are the 'beginning and the end".

By taking this name, Jesus is saying that he is the beginning of all things, the Creator...and the consummation of all things, as the One before whom we will stand at the final judgment.
He is stating that he is God.

The two symbols together were often used as a Christian symbol in early Christian art, particularly in the West. 

Alpha & Omega appear on either side of the head of Jesus in this Mural from catacomb of Commodilla from the  late 4th century
Image: public domain

~~~~~

In more traditional expressions of Christianity, these symbols continue to be widely used today.

The Alpha & Omega appear on the altar of our own parish church.

There will be another symbol tomorrow.  

Until then, be blessed and be well.

Pax Christi,

~Michelle

The next ornament in the series (Part 3) can be found here.

Linked with The Ten O'Clock Scholar Nativity Carnival.